"In his heart he felt he had tried everything to avoid this end, but to no avail. Why is the post office so different from other companies? He remembered a statement that a former carrier had made. 'You know, I've worked in a lot of places where they discourage personal initiative, but this is the first place I've seen where they punish you for it '" In the small Texas town of Decatur, rural mail carrier Roderick "Roddy" Tolbert is determined to change the tense relationship between the post office managers and the rural mail carriers. He becomes the local union representative, but soon learns that he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Postmaster John Thompson and operations manager Juan Gonzales constantly harass the rural carriers, creating a hotbed of anger and resentment. As Roddy struggles to find some type of resolution, he fears that some of the employees see violence as the only answer. After careful consideration, he confronts Thompson and Gonzales with his concerns, only to be accused of being a "dangerous influence." After they threaten him with disciplinary action, Roddy discovers just how corrupt Thompson and Gonzales have become, and admits defeat.